Brush for cleaning pipes and tubes



June 9, 1931, I ROE 1,809,725

BRUSi-I FOR CLEANING PIPES AND TUBES Filed Dec. 9, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet. l

June 9, 1931. J. H. ROE 1,809,725

BI RUSH FOR CLEANING PIPES AND TUBES Filed Dec. 9, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 9, 1931 Josnrnnnnmr non, on MARKETWIPIARBOBOUGH, ENGLAND ans]: non cnnANmG rrrns Jinn/Tunas Application filed December This invention relates to brushes for cleaning pipes andtubes internally andconcerns more especially though; not exclusively brushesv for cleaning pipes connectedfwith. mill; pasteurlzing andfsteri-lizing apparatus. 7

Brushes for the above mentioned purposes usually consist of a shank or hub from which the bristles, fibre or bass radiate andare distributed longitudinally in spiral form or in a 10 succession of rings the brush in use being passed-longitudinally through the pipe or 1 pen the interior thereon tube so as to act In a form 0]": brush. as commonly used the bristlesor equivalent are heldin a shank of twisted wire.

The diiiiculty with brushes of this type is to obtain sufficient brushingactioh: on the inside of; the tubeor pipe. When the bristles are attached .to a twisted Wire or, a 'shankof comparatively small" diameter they have a tendency to lie down when"passing-through the tube, or in otherword's, owingtoi their.

length they are not stiff enough to remain erect and operate with the strong scrubbing action desired ontheinside of the tube. To overcome this difliculty, cleaning brushes have been madewith a hub or shanlrof com 'f furnished with short stifi bristles but these brushes have been objection for the reason thatthey soon become clogged up in use this beingj due to the fact that the spaceabout the large j paratively large diameter open 'to hub was not sufficient tdaccominodateth scale or other matter removed from the interior of, the pipe by the bristles.

pose and s means to afiord support for. the latter when more efiective in action. v The invention maybe ca'rried out 'by pro:- viding on the l1llb 01' shank of the brush one port thebristles against lateral yield when passing through the pipe or tube According-to a modification one or more discs may serve to carry clearly and readily understood practicalex amples thereof willnowbe described with reference to the accompanying drawings "brush employing discs designed to support brush.

The present invention'compri-ses a brush of improved construction for the aforesaidpur- 1 characterized by the provisionin combination withthebristles' or the'lilre'of V v the discs. the brush is inuse whereby they are rendered i the line X-X of Figure 9. Q

or more discs'or like members of smaller diameter thanthebrush whichserve to supe the bristles as well as support 9, 1927, Serial No. 238,889, and in'G-reat Britain December. 11, 1926.

them as aforesaid." For. this purpose said disc or each disc may be formed'with a rim. in which the bristles are secured, and a flange extending beyond the rim to aiford the required support to the bristles.

In a brush for'use with a rotary'motion such as may be imparted mechanically there may be provided one or more discs or the like formed, furnished with, or carrying "mem bers arranged to extend longitudinallyof the brush between the bristles and thereby to support the latter against yield circumferentially when the brush is in use.

In order that the invention may befmore.

wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation of abruslr wherein theflbristles are: securedin a wire; shank, anddiscs are employed to limitthe lateral, yield of the bristles.

Figure 2 is a section taken .onjline II Il of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional isideelevation of-" part of a brush wherein the bristles are carried as well as supported by discs.

Figure 4' is an end elevation partly-in section of the construction shown in Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a sectional side elevation of a the'bristles against circumferential yield.'

Figure 6 is sectional fend elevation of this Figures 7 and 8 show a modification-here inafter described.

Figure 9 is a side elevation of; abrush wherein the bristles are supported circumferential-lyby longitudinal. wires carried by FigurelO is a cross section of: the same on Figure 11-is a faceview of one of the discs ,7

having a modified centre.

plurality of circular discs 3 situated at intervals apart. These discs are of les diameter than that of the brush, and are intended to constitute supports for the bristles near their outer ends without however, touching the inside of the pipe or tube in which the brush is used. lVhen the brush is thrust by an endwise movement through the pipe or tube and the bristles bend or tend to lie down under this action, the discs 3 limit the bending or yield of the bristles and thereby stiffen the ends which project beyond the peripheries of the discs so that they operate more effectively on the inside of the pipe or tube.

The discs 3 may be fastened upon the shank 2 in any convenient manner but preferably they are rotatable and also capable of tilting (they may for instance lit loosely) so that they can adjust themselves to requirements when the brush is in use.

I find that the desired effect can be readily obtained by means of metal discs located among the bristles and spaced one inch apart or thereabonts, although the spacing may vary according to the size of the brush and the nature of the bristles or equivalent therein, the discs having central holes at by which they are threaded u on the shank and kept in place by the brist es.

The discs may have holes or openings (not shown) therein in addition to the central hole, and they may be composed of any suitable material it being understood that the bristles when bent from the erect or radial position by contact with the interior of the pipe rest against the discs especially the pe ripheral portion thereof and are thereby supported against further yield. This pro duces the effect of short stitt bristles without however, the disadvantage of such bristles.

The discs are applied so that the bristles are not tightly compressed or compacted between them there being a certain amount of yield of the bristles allowed and also space for accumulation of dirt without clogging.

In carrying the invention into practice as illustrated in Figures 3 and 1-, I E): the bristles in discs 5 each of which has an enlarged rim 6 with a flange 7 extending beyond the same on one side thereof to support the bristles, which, of course, extend beyond the flange, near their outer ends. Conveniently bunches of bristles doubled to form tufts 8 are inserted in holes or sockets 9, formed ra dially at suitable intervals apart in the rim 6 and held in position by means of wire loops 10 formed by threading wire in and out of the holes or sockets continuously, as represented in Figure 1. A brush of any desired length may be formed by mounting a plurality of these discs at suitable distances apart, determined for example by distance pieces 11 or central bosses 011 the discs on a shaft or spindle 12 as represented in Figure 3, for which purpose said discs are provided.

with holes 13 and clamping the discs in position by nuts (not shown) or other convenient means. As will be readily understood the flanges 7, when the brush is operating axially in a pipe or tube, afford support to the bristles in exactly the same manner as the discs 3 hereinbefore referred to.

Considering now that form of the invention illustrated in Figures 5 and 6, as applied for example, to a brush wherein the bristles 1 are held by a shank of twisted wire 2 as aforesaid, but which brush is intended for rotary operation or rotary and endwise movement, I provide discs 14 each having projecting at right angles from one side thereof a plurality of equally spaced radial members 15. These members may be formed integrally such as by a pressing or punching operation, or may consists of separate right angular pieces riveted in position as shown in Figures 7 and 8. The said discs are of a smaller diameter than the brush and are provided with holes 16 whereby they can be threaded upon the shank 2. lVhen the discs are located among the bristles at the desired distances apart the radial members extend longitudinally between the bristles 1 with their outer ends below the outer ends of the bristles. Consequentl when the bristles are bent circumferentia 1y from the erect position due to rotation of the brush within a pipe or tube they will be prevented from yielding unduly owin to the resistance offered by the radial mem ers. Incidentally the peripheries of the discs would support the bristles against lateral yield in the event of the brush being subjected to end thrust.

Obviously this form of the invention might be carried out in a brush wherein the bristles are secured in discs 5 as already described, i. e. by forming or providing radial right angular projections on the flanges 7.

In Figures 9 and 10 I illustrate another form of means for supporting the bristles in a circumferential direction. These means consist of wires 17 passed through holes 18 formed in discs 19 near the periphery thereof as shown in F i ure 11. The wires 17 are disposed longitu inally of the brush and pass between the radial bristles as shown in Figure 10 to serve as supports when the brush operates with a rotary motion in a pipe or tube. In this case the discs 19 also serve to afford lateral support for the bristles when the brush operates in an axial direction. The wires 17 may be secured in a suitable manner, e. g. by riveting or bending over the ends on the outside of the endmost discs. Wires may be similarly carried by the discs 7.

I may, if desired, secure the discs on the shank and adopt for this purpose any suitable means. When the brush is to operate with a rotary motion and the discs form or carry devices to support the bristles in a circumferential direction it is desirable to prevent the discs from turning on the shank. To this end I may, instead of making a circular hole such as 16 in the disc, provide two slots therein such as 20 (Figure 11) shaped tubes internally, comprising a shank, bristles radially disposed thereon, circular discs located at intervals apart on .the shank and of a diameter substantially less than the brush,

to suit the wire. The two strands of wire of said discs being so arranged that the portions which the shank 21 is composed are passed one through each slot and twisted together on opposite sides of the disc as shown in Figure 12. This secures the disc and prevents turning and lateral movement. thereof on the shank. The discs 3 and 14 may be secured in the same manner. I When the discs have round holes such as 16 I may insert pins or nails transversely through the shank to keep the discs from shifting laterally along the shank.

The hub or shank of the brush can be made small thereby providing adequate space for the accommodation of the scale or matter removed trom the pipe.

That I claim then is 1. A circular brush comprising a shank composed of wires twisted together, bristles radially disposed thereon, and discs on said shank to afford lateral support for theiree portion of the bristles under operation of the brush in an axial direction.

2. A circular brush comprising a shank, bristles radially 1 disposed thereon, discs on,

of the bristles between their extremities and the shank are free to yieldby bending under operation ofthe brush, wires disposed longitudinally of the brush and carried by the discs the said wires being spaced apart circumferentially of the brush amongst the free por tions of the bristles topermit a limited bend- .ing yield thereof and serve as abutments to support the said free portions of the bristles during rotary operation of the brush.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

JOSEPH HENRY ROE.

said shank to afford lateralsupport for the I free portions of the bristles, and means car-- ried by the discs extending longitudinally between the free portions of the. bristles to support same in a direction circumferentially 01": the brush. 7 a

3. A circular brush comprising a shank, bristles radially disposed thereon, discs on said shank, and wires running longitudinally of the brush and through the free portions of the bristles, said wires being carried by the discs and serving as supports for the bristles in circumferential direction.

4. A. circular brush comprising a shank, bristles radially disposed thereon, discs on said shank, and wires extending longitudi nally of the brush and through holes in said discs to aliord support for therfree portions of the brush; l

5. A circular brush comprising ashank composed of wires'twisted together, bristles disposed radially on the shank, discs on said shank to afiord support for the free portions of the bristles and limit their bending due to of the bristles in a direction circumferentially operation, and means to secure said discs at intervals apart on the shank.

6. A circular brush comprising a shank formed of wires twisted together, bristles on said shank, and discs on ford support for the free portions of the bristles in the direction of operation of the brush, thewires of the, shank passing through eparate holes in the discs to secure the latter in position.

4. A circular brush for cleaning pipes and the shank to af- 7 

